**Part 3**
A few days later, Theo asked whether Mrs. Bennett still worked Saturdays.
“Register three?” he added.
I said yes. He nodded, and I didn’t press him.
Weeks later, he stood by our front door wearing his shoes.
“Can we go to the store?”
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll grab my keys.”
When we arrived, Theo stopped outside the automatic doors.
“I want to go in by myself. I still need to do it right. Chocolate. Pay. Receipt. Come back.”
The image of him kneeling on the tiles flashed through my mind. Fear washed over me.
“We could go in together,” I said.
“We already did that,” Theo replied. “I get the receipts now. I do the paying sometimes. I want to do it right.”
“Do you feel ready?”
“Yes.”
I desperately wanted to accompany him, but he’d clearly stated what he wanted, and I knew he understood the plan.
So I stepped aside.
“Okay. I’ll wait outside.”
This time, I watched Theo through the glass the entire time. I saw him find the same chocolate bar and carry it to Mrs. Bennett at register three.
She smiled. He counted his money.
He accepted his receipt.
The automatic doors opened.
Theo emerged holding his chocolate bar and receipt.
“How’d it go?” I asked.
Theo looked at me.
“I got it right.”
